Robbo keen to return

SATURDAY'S postponement was frustrating for fans, players and management alike.

But spare a thought for one man in particular: Scott Robertson.

The defender was due to complete a three game ban when Stranraer welcomed Albion Rovers to Stair Park.

However, the postponement means Robertson instead spends another week on the sidelines and will miss the trip to Arbroath - barring any further postponements.

He said: "It is not ideal having to go up there for nothing.

"The pitch on Saturday was pretty bad and I tried to give the boys a hand with the forks and shovels to get the hailstones off the pitch but calling it off was probably the right decision.

"The pitch was very, very heavy and missing another week is a bit rubbish."

Robertson's suspension, his second of the season, came after he was sent of against Ayr United last month.

The red card was shown after he reacted to a challenge from Jamie Adams, which resulted in a three game ban in the league, although he did play in the Scottish Cup against Brora Rangers.

Like most players, Robertson would prefer to be doing his talking on the pitch, rather than watching from the sidelines.

He said: "I'm a pretty rubbish fan, to be honest.

"I don't like sitting watching and I feel like shouting and bawling at the side but I cannot do that sitting in the stand.

"I'm not great in the stand, it's not that you think you could do better but you want to be able to help the boys.

"It is frustrating more than anything."

Robertson's two red cards this season are the first dismissals of his senior career.

The ex-Arbroath man has clocked up more than 170 appearances for Stranraer but until this campaign had yet to be sent for an early bath.

He said: "I've never been sent off in probably about 300 career games and now I've been sent off twice in the space of about six or seven games.

"It is just the luck of the draw.

"The first one (against Airdrie), I couldn't believe it because I thought the ball was in play and didn't think it was a particularly violent foul.

"It is not a good feeling getting sent off, especially knowing the second one was going to be three games."

The Blues were thumped 6-2 the last time they faced off against Arbroath and will be looking to bounce back - both from that disappointment and defeat to Brora Rangers in the Scottish Cup last time out.

Speaking about this weekend's clash, Robertson said the reverse fixture was the type of result that stuck in a player's head.

He said: "You don't want to be on the end of a result like that.

"It sticks in your mind more than losing 1-0.

"For them to come down to our ground where we have been pretty decent, apart from Arbroath and Brora, maybe we have not been playing fantastic football but results have been decent, I think it does stick in your head a bit more than being beaten by the odd goal.

"You want to go away and put down a statement.

"It was a wee bit of a freak result."

Beyond this weekend's tie, Robertson was keen to see the team find some consistent form and put down a marker of their own.

The playoff spots are out of reach at the moment but a good run of form would quickly catapult the Blues up the League One table.

He said: "I think more so than ever this year, anybody can beat anybody.

"Anybody that puts together a run like we did in my first year at the club when we went something like 20 games unbeaten - and that was with Rangers and Dunfermline in the league - will be in contention.

"I don't think we will be far away once we put together a run but the longer we are inconsistent the harder it is to catch teams.